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SUVA, Fiji (Fijilive, Nov. 30) – Fiji has made a formal apology to the President of the Papua New Guinea province of Bougainville, after two of its former soldiers reportedly gave military training to rebels there.

Freddy Rokodi and Semi Baroi have been questioned in the capital, Port Moresby, after they were escorted by a Fiji diplomat on a flight back from Bougainville.

Bougainville Autonomous Government president Joseph Kabui says the second secretary at the Fiji High Commission, Emosi Rakai, promised to return to the province to bring the remaining six former Fiji soldiers.

"The second secretary, in a dinner that we hosted, certainly expressed a very profound regret and apologized for the activities of the Fijian citizens," president Kabui told Radio New Zealand.

He says the two Fijians confirmed while passing through Buka that they had given training to security men employed by the wanted...

HAGATNA, Guam (Pacific Daily News, Dec. 1) – Guam Visitors Bureau numbers show the island's annual visitor tally hit a million through October, when last year it took a month longer to reach the milestone.

The hotel occupancy report prompted a press release from Governor Felix P. Camacho, who stated yesterday "this has been a tremendous year for tourism and the growth we've seen since the bottom of the economy in 2002."

Although there are more than 14,000 fewer room nights available for sale, more than 100,000 more room nights were sold, for a year-to-date increase of 8 percent, according to the governor's press release.

October's average hotel occupancy rate was 64 percent, but industry officials have said a healthier rate would be around 70 percent.

Kemakeza made the comment after an audit report alleged that more than US$5 million is missing from a loan by Taiwan’s Exim Bank for compensation claim arising from recent years of unrest in the Solomons.

Sir Allan was the Minister of National Unity and Reconciliation at the time of the disbursement of some US$20.7 million in loan moneys.

The report, which has now been tabled in parliament, says many of the claims were excessive or false.

Sir Allan says he was not given enough compensation for the loss of his resort on Savo, his home island.

"The assessors physically visited some of these areas because Savo is clear that the officers visited and they came up with a claim of 1.8 million dollars, which I...

Davies made this comment when shown a comparison table on high-speed internet costs in the two countries.

Local Internet charges are the same for private and commercial users.

Two weeks ago, Davies announced a reduced cost with high-speed Internet, from NZ$1,585 (US$1,105) per month to NZ$999 (US$696) but still three times more than New Zealand’s $299 (US$208).

Davies says the Cook Islands is more expensive for a number reasons.

"Firstly we suffer from the lack of economy of scale that every business suffers from in the Cook Islands," he says. "Secondly, New Zealand gets Internet access via huge fibre optic cable links which are not accessible by the Cook Islands...

SUVA, Fiji (Fiji Times, Nov. 30) – The head of the Fiji Great Council of Chiefs has called for higher returns on native land, after hearing that every three in 10 indigenous Fijians live below the poverty line.

Great Council of Chiefs’ chairman Ratu Ovini Bokini told the council's final meeting of the year yesterday that despite owning 90 per cent of land resources in the country, Fijians were still living in poverty. He called for chiefs and the Native Land Trust Board to push for higher returns on native land.

"I believe that now is the time for the landowners, as well as resources owners, to wake up and try to earn a fair return similar to the earnings of those who are using these resources," he said in Fijian. But, Ratu Ovini said, other races should not be blamed for the poverty levels of the Fijian people. He said this was up to Fijians themselves and the decisions they made for their future.

HAGATNA, Guam (Pacific Daily News, Dec. 1) – A request for disqualification was filed by the attorney general's office against the local judge who has been assigned to preside over the case against former Governor Carl Gutierrez and former Retirement Fund Director John Rios.

The attorney general's office made the request yesterday to Judge Richard Benson presiding over the trial for three reasons: Gutierrez appointed Benson as a judge; Gutierrez is now a gubernatorial candidate and Benson could stand to be rewarded; and Benson sits on both Supreme and Superior Courts, a situation for which no statutory authority exists, documents state.

Benson dismissed earlier charges against the two men.

Government prosecutors allege that Gutierrez and Rios altered the former governor's retirement status so he could collect more money from the Retirement Fund.

KAUAI, Hawaii (The Garden Island, Nov. 30) – Kauai County prosecutors in Hawaii are upset that a statement given to police by a suspected ice dealer has been ruled inadmissible as evidence in a court case.

There is disagreement between a Kaua'i Police Department officer and the suspect about whether or not the statement was given after the officer made the suspect a verbal commitment to release him, his wife, and daughter, and try to have the charges reduced or dismissed.

First Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Richard Minatoya filed late last month a motion to reconsider a ruling made by Fifth Circuit Court Chief Judge George Masuoka.

In that ruling, Masuoka determined that Rizal Balgos' statement made to Kaua'i Police Department officers was not made voluntarily, and ruled that statement inadmissible as evidence at his jury trial, which is scheduled to begin in January.

PAPEETE, Tahiti (Tahitipresse, Nov. 29) – An estimated 3,000 to 4,500 persons turned out Wednesday morning to begin a march and eventual sit-in in front of the French Polynesia Assembly to protest the Temaru government's proposed tax reforms.

Officials of a confederation representing 16 labor unions said they were satisfied with the turnout for an unlimited general strike march from a Papeete athletic field to the French Polynesia Assembly.

The union officials estimated the size of the marchers at 4,500, while the police estimate was 3,000. The turnout included many French State and territorial government civil servants, ranging from customs employees and teachers to salaried employees at the French State owned and operated RFO radio and television station, union officials said.

Declaring themselves "satisfied overall with the mobilization", union officials said the marchers also included salaried employees from big private businesses, all of whom are...

Pacific Islands Report is a nonprofit news publication of the Pacific Islands Development Program at the East-West Center in Honolulu, Hawai‘i. Offered as a free service to readers, PIR provides an edited digest of news, commentary and analysis from across the Pacific Islands region, Monday - Friday.